How do different stressors affect students' ability to participate fully in school?
Jamie Butalewicz, Etta Tramonti, Lauren Zeffer, Olivia Seegers, Sam Ninesling, Jennifer Storch
I. Description of Problem or Issue
Lead Editor: Jamie Butalewicz
What is stress? While everyone knows the feeling, few can successfully define it. Yet stress, the state of mental or emotional tension resulting from very demanding circumstances, has a lasting impact on any individual - especially young students trying to find their place in the world. From bullying to mental illness to even troubles at home, a student's educational potential is being abased and abused by a myriad of different stressors. School should reflect an environment in which adolescents are comfortable and safe while still being exposed to the many different cultural aspects of life. Unfortunately, such an idealistic place isn't possible while teenagers are facing unbearable amounts of strain that are causing them physical and mental harm. This is a major educational issue that is overlooked in modern school improvements, such as the Rhode Island Strategic Plan. This should be one of the top concerns of educational reformers. It has a huge impact on the well-being of students and how teachers successfully undertake their jobs. Limiting a student's stress through reduced workloads, stress counseling, and improved free time to spend socializing with peers would benefit American education as a whole. Stress is a huge problem, impacting students regardless of age, race, or creed - but it is an issue that can easily be resolved.
II. Research Summary
Lead Editor: Lauren Zeffer
While our team agreed that there are many factors that play into student stress in the classroom, we all felt that each of our chosen stressors were something that would affect our hypothetical student the most. Jamie researched how the amount of work a student is assigned can cause an unfair burden to the student. Sam studied the expectations teachers, guardians, and families have for their children in and outside the classroom - and how much pressure pupils feel as a result. Lauren examined the effects of bullying on a student's desire to participate in school. The impact of a student's ethnicity on his or her ability to fully participate in an educational setting was scrutinized by Jennifer, and Etta investigated the effects that mental illnesses, specifically depression, can have on a student's performance in the classroom, as well as other areas of life. Our group felt that these six situations were the most important and prevalent in students today, and that the RI DOE's Strategic Plan was severely lacking in techniques to improve them.
III. Group Product Overview
Lead Editor: Elizabeth Tramonti
We have presented here six feasible plans that can be deftly implemented at the ground level to provide students with immediate relief. During this class, our group will discuss each stressor, describe clearly how it affects students, and then propose action plans to alleviate the tension. We will try to include activities involving the students and firmly illustrating each of our points - such as the heart-wrinkling activity and a Prezi presentation.
Ethnicity: Jennifer suggests education for all students, regardless of race, that emphasizes color-blindness both for pupils and teachers.
Mental Illness: To encourage normal functioning, Etta proposes a three-legged approach consisting of the school, the parents, and the students. For students, encouraged honesty about their struggles as well as signing a No-Suicide Contract will allow faculty and guardians to respond appropriately. The student body can also build support groups like LETS (Let's End the Stigma) which not only actively engage other, nuerotypical adolescents to understand their struggles but also provide a peer support group and safe space. Parents need to keep educational institutions generally informed about the consequences of the diagnosis specifically for that child and the ways those manifest in pertinent situations. Schools need much more training about what depression is and how it manifests (especially to curb the idea that teenagers suffering from depression are "brats" or "hormonal"), and then encourage staff to make one-on-one connections with children. Specialized classes for those suffering from mental illness or Individualized Educational Plans should also be implemented.
Dysfunctional Home Life: In order to ensure those students with high-risk or abusive families are given the safety children need, Olivia believes - much like Etta and Lauren - that one-on-one mentoring between adults (like guidance counselors) and adolescents can preemptively prevent serious tragedies from occurring and lessen the burden for that population.
Academic Workload: Jamie argues that two hours of homework total a night is beneficial for students to continue their growth outside the classroom; teachers must coordinate with one another to ensure that the homework is given proper weight.
Academic Pressure: Sam advocates less weight be given to the GPA and that educational institutions instead emphasize the aspects that make well-rounded people, such as extra-curricular activities, social groups, and interests and hobbies. This dove-tails neatly with Jamie's proposal that homework be limited so that students can experience outside activities.
Bullying: Recommending several ideas to lessen the impact of bullying in our schools, Lauren emphasizes the need for education on the topic for both teachers and staff - including anti-bullying workshops that would be mandatory for the student body; an emphasis on peer intervention; and (like Etta and Olivia) one-on-one mentoring which would assist victims as well as potentially prevent further bullies. While there is no exact answer for how to create a perfectly safe environment for students that also continues to educate adolescents, Lauren feels that an open dialogue needs to be created immediately between faculty and staff, students, parents, and the school board to find the best solution for these children.
IV. Visual Representation
Lead Artist: Elizabeth Tramonti
What stressors has this group faced? What stressors have the students in our books faced?
VI. Group Reaction/Opinion(s) about the issues related to this priority.
Lead Editor: Jamie Butalewicz
Everyone, from parents and teachers to the students themselves, agrees that changes need to be made to the school systems to make them a less stressful place. Schools should be a safe haven for students, somewhere they come and interact with others, a place for them to grow. With a healthy atmosphere, children and adolescents can easily achieve the pinnacle of their performance. However, this rosy-tinted picture simply isn't the case in modern American institutions. Schools are synonymous with students' dread - because they fear its pressures and the effects that bleed into other aspects of their lives. Nothing should ever be so traumatic that a teenager is willing to harm him- or herself physically in order to escape the pain. As a group, we have individually and unanimously come to the conclusion that stress is one of the biggest problems students face and the issue must be addressed by our educational institutions. We are united in the belief that several programs should be added for teachers and students, and that other previously-implemented plans be revised completely or done away with. Schools should have counseling sessions and one-on-one mentors to work with our adolescent populations and help them deal with their problems. Whether facing bullying, home problems, or being overloaded with school work, a student should always feel as if they have a trusted adult on their side. Teachers should have mandatory workshops and training to understand how one-on-one mentoring can help young adults flourish. We argue that this change needs occur with the implementation of Rhode Island's new DOE Strategic Plan. Faculty and staff need to host monthly meetings for students and parents to discuss the climate in the school, how the stress is affecting the student body, and how all three can work together to better manage the situation. Without a concerted effort on our part - now - we act unjustly to those who will be America's future, depriving them of the necessary life skills and positive self-concepts that will strengthen them.
Jamie Butalewicz, Etta Tramonti, Lauren Zeffer, Olivia Seegers, Sam Ninesling, Jennifer Storch
I. Description of Problem or Issue
Lead Editor: Jamie ButalewiczWhat is stress? While everyone knows the feeling, few can successfully define it. Yet stress, the state of mental or emotional tension resulting from very demanding circumstances, has a lasting impact on any individual - especially young students trying to find their place in the world. From bullying to mental illness to even troubles at home, a student's educational potential is being abased and abused by a myriad of different stressors. School should reflect an environment in which adolescents are comfortable and safe while still being exposed to the many different cultural aspects of life. Unfortunately, such an idealistic place isn't possible while teenagers are facing unbearable amounts of strain that are causing them physical and mental harm. This is a major educational issue that is overlooked in modern school improvements, such as the Rhode Island Strategic Plan. This should be one of the top concerns of educational reformers. It has a huge impact on the well-being of students and how teachers successfully undertake their jobs. Limiting a student's stress through reduced workloads, stress counseling, and improved free time to spend socializing with peers would benefit American education as a whole. Stress is a huge problem, impacting students regardless of age, race, or creed - but it is an issue that can easily be resolved.
II. Research Summary
Lead Editor: Lauren ZefferWhile our team agreed that there are many factors that play into student stress in the classroom, we all felt that each of our chosen stressors were something that would affect our hypothetical student the most. Jamie researched how the amount of work a student is assigned can cause an unfair burden to the student. Sam studied the expectations teachers, guardians, and families have for their children in and outside the classroom - and how much pressure pupils feel as a result. Lauren examined the effects of bullying on a student's desire to participate in school. The impact of a student's ethnicity on his or her ability to fully participate in an educational setting was scrutinized by Jennifer, and Etta investigated the effects that mental illnesses, specifically depression, can have on a student's performance in the classroom, as well as other areas of life. Our group felt that these six situations were the most important and prevalent in students today, and that the RI DOE's Strategic Plan was severely lacking in techniques to improve them.
III. Group Product Overview
Lead Editor: Elizabeth TramontiWe have presented here six feasible plans that can be deftly implemented at the ground level to provide students with immediate relief. During this class, our group will discuss each stressor, describe clearly how it affects students, and then propose action plans to alleviate the tension. We will try to include activities involving the students and firmly illustrating each of our points - such as the heart-wrinkling activity and a Prezi presentation.
Ethnicity: Jennifer suggests education for all students, regardless of race, that emphasizes color-blindness both for pupils and teachers.
Mental Illness: To encourage normal functioning, Etta proposes a three-legged approach consisting of the school, the parents, and the students. For students, encouraged honesty about their struggles as well as signing a No-Suicide Contract will allow faculty and guardians to respond appropriately. The student body can also build support groups like LETS (Let's End the Stigma) which not only actively engage other, nuerotypical adolescents to understand their struggles but also provide a peer support group and safe space. Parents need to keep educational institutions generally informed about the consequences of the diagnosis specifically for that child and the ways those manifest in pertinent situations. Schools need much more training about what depression is and how it manifests (especially to curb the idea that teenagers suffering from depression are "brats" or "hormonal"), and then encourage staff to make one-on-one connections with children. Specialized classes for those suffering from mental illness or Individualized Educational Plans should also be implemented.
Dysfunctional Home Life: In order to ensure those students with high-risk or abusive families are given the safety children need, Olivia believes - much like Etta and Lauren - that one-on-one mentoring between adults (like guidance counselors) and adolescents can preemptively prevent serious tragedies from occurring and lessen the burden for that population.
Academic Workload: Jamie argues that two hours of homework total a night is beneficial for students to continue their growth outside the classroom; teachers must coordinate with one another to ensure that the homework is given proper weight.
Academic Pressure: Sam advocates less weight be given to the GPA and that educational institutions instead emphasize the aspects that make well-rounded people, such as extra-curricular activities, social groups, and interests and hobbies. This dove-tails neatly with Jamie's proposal that homework be limited so that students can experience outside activities.
Bullying: Recommending several ideas to lessen the impact of bullying in our schools, Lauren emphasizes the need for education on the topic for both teachers and staff - including anti-bullying workshops that would be mandatory for the student body; an emphasis on peer intervention; and (like Etta and Olivia) one-on-one mentoring which would assist victims as well as potentially prevent further bullies. While there is no exact answer for how to create a perfectly safe environment for students that also continues to educate adolescents, Lauren feels that an open dialogue needs to be created immediately between faculty and staff, students, parents, and the school board to find the best solution for these children.
IV. Visual Representation
Lead Artist: Elizabeth TramontiV. Research Questions and Reference Summaries
VI. Group Reaction/Opinion(s) about the issues related to this priority.
Lead Editor: Jamie ButalewiczEveryone, from parents and teachers to the students themselves, agrees that changes need to be made to the school systems to make them a less stressful place. Schools should be a safe haven for students, somewhere they come and interact with others, a place for them to grow. With a healthy atmosphere, children and adolescents can easily achieve the pinnacle of their performance. However, this rosy-tinted picture simply isn't the case in modern American institutions. Schools are synonymous with students' dread - because they fear its pressures and the effects that bleed into other aspects of their lives. Nothing should ever be so traumatic that a teenager is willing to harm him- or herself physically in order to escape the pain. As a group, we have individually and unanimously come to the conclusion that stress is one of the biggest problems students face and the issue must be addressed by our educational institutions. We are united in the belief that several programs should be added for teachers and students, and that other previously-implemented plans be revised completely or done away with. Schools should have counseling sessions and one-on-one mentors to work with our adolescent populations and help them deal with their problems. Whether facing bullying, home problems, or being overloaded with school work, a student should always feel as if they have a trusted adult on their side. Teachers should have mandatory workshops and training to understand how one-on-one mentoring can help young adults flourish. We argue that this change needs occur with the implementation of Rhode Island's new DOE Strategic Plan. Faculty and staff need to host monthly meetings for students and parents to discuss the climate in the school, how the stress is affecting the student body, and how all three can work together to better manage the situation. Without a concerted effort on our part - now - we act unjustly to those who will be America's future, depriving them of the necessary life skills and positive self-concepts that will strengthen them.